Exploring smartphone use and its applicability in academic training of medical students in Latin America: a multicenter cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background

Mobile phones are essential tools worldwide, including for the academic training of medical students. However, their role in Latin America (LATAM) remains underexplored. This study aimed to evaluate cell phone use and its applicability in the academic training of medical students in LATAM.

Methods

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among undergraduate medical students from seven Latin American countries between December 2023 and February 2024. The study assessed academic smartphone use across five types of applications: medical apps, knowledge updating apps, academic podcast apps, video streaming apps, and social media apps.

Results

A total of 1,590 medical students participated, with 63.6% being women, 21.2% third-year students, and 55.0% from private universities. Nearly all participants (98.4%) owned a mobile phone, and 88.2% used them for academic purposes. The most common academic use was for viewing academic content videos (82.9%). A significant association was found between academic cell phone use and progression through medical studies, with fifth-year students being the most likely to use their phones for academic purposes (OR = 4.517, 95% CI = 1.843–11.075). Students in the clinical stage of education were also more likely to rely on smart phones for academic purposes (OR = 2.090, 95% CI = 1.500–2.911). Conversely, public university students were less likely to use their phones for academic purposes compared to private university students (OR = 0.714, 95% CI = 0.522–0.977). Additionally, students who perceived that their academic preparation would be more difficult without a cell phone were more likely to use it for academic purposes (OR = 2.157, 95% CI = 1.463–3.181).

Conclusions

These results suggest the importance of incorporating smartphones into the educational frameworks of medical schools and universities in Latin America, with a particular emphasis on academic video content applications, which already capture the attention and preference of medical students.